The periodic table is an organized arrangement of chemical elements into rows (periods) and columns (groups). Representing the periodic law, it displays elements by atomic number, revealing recurring properties. Divided into blocks, elements within the same group share similar chemical characteristics, making it a fundamental tool in chemistry, physics, and other sciences.
In 1902, Czech chemist Bohuslav Brauner suggested that all lanthanides could be placed together in one group on the periodic table. He named this the "asteroid hypothesis" as an analogy to the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
In 1904, J. J. Thomson proposed the "plum-pudding model" of the atom, which served as the basis for Haas's later calculations of atomic radius. In 1910, Haas used Thomson's plum-pudding model of the atom in calculating the atomic radius of hydrogen
In 1905, Swiss chemist Alfred Werner proposed a periodic table form very similar to the modern 32-column form.
In 1908, Japanese chemist Masataka Ogawa found element 75 but mistakenly assigned it as element 43 and named it nipponium. Ogawa's discovery was not recognized until later.
In 1910, physicist Arthur Haas published the first calculated estimate of the atomic radius of hydrogen, coming within an order of magnitude of the accepted value. He used a single-electron configuration based on Thomson's plum-pudding model.
In 1913, Frederick Soddy coined the term "isotope" to describe elements with different atomic weights but the same chemical properties. This clarified discrepancies and helped to better understand the composition of elements.
In 1913, Niels Bohr applied quantization to the atom and produced the first electronic periodic table based on a quantum atom. He theorized that inner electrons were responsible for an element's chemical properties.
In 1913, Niels Bohr explained that the maximum electrons in a shell is eight. His proposed electron configurations for the atoms mostly do not accord with those now known.
In 1913, amateur Dutch physicist Antonius van den Broek proposed that the nuclear charge determines the placement of elements in the periodic table. He illustrated the first electronic periodic table arranging elements by the number of electrons.
In 1914, Ernest Rutherford confirmed in his paper that Niels Bohr had accepted Antonius van den Broek's view that nuclear charge determined the placement of elements in the periodic table.
In 1914, Walther Kossel systematically expanded and corrected the chemical potentials of Bohr's atomic theory.
In 1916, Walther Kossel explained that in the periodic table new elements would be created as electrons were added to the outer shell.
In 1919, Irving Langmuir postulated the existence of "cells" which we now call orbitals, which could each only contain two electrons each, and these were arranged in "equidistant layers" which we now call shells. He made an exception for the first shell to only contain two electrons.
In 1921, Charles Rugeley Bury suggested that eight and eighteen electrons in a shell form stable configurations, also introducing the term 'transition' for elements now known as transition metals.
In 1922, Bohr used Julius Thomsen's form of the periodic table in his Nobel Lecture.
Prompted by Bohr, in 1923 Wolfgang Pauli extended Bohr's scheme to use four quantum numbers, and formulated his exclusion principle.
In 1925, Friedrich Hund arrived at electron configurations close to the modern ones, shifting periodicity's basis to valence electrons.
In 1925, Walter Noddack, Ida Tacke, and Otto Berg independently rediscovered element 75 and gave it its present name, rhenium. This corrected Ogawa's earlier mistaken assignment.
In 1926, the Aufbau principle that describes the electron configurations of the elements was first empirically observed by Erwin Madelung.
In 1927, Hund assumed that all the lanthanide atoms had configuration [Xe]4f5d6s, on account of their prevailing trivalency.
In 1930, Vladimir Karapetoff was the first to publish the Aufbau principle that describes the electron configurations of the elements.
By 1936, the pool of missing elements from hydrogen to uranium had shrunk to four: elements 43, 61, 85, and 87 remained missing.
In 1937, Emilio Segrè and Carlo Perrier discovered technetium, element 43, the first element to be synthesized artificially.
In 1937, technetium became the first element to be discovered through synthesis rather than in nature. This marked a turning point in expanding the periodic table artificially.
In 1939, French chemist Marguerite Perey discovered francium, element 87, which became the last element to be discovered in nature.
In 1940, Edwin McMillan and Philip Abelson discovered neptunium, and astatine was produced artificially.
In 1940, neptunium was synthesized in the laboratory, marking a significant step in creating elements beyond uranium. This was part of completing the seventh row of the periodic table.
In 1941, Glenn T. Seaborg and his team at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) discovered plutonium.
In 1945, Glenn T. Seaborg discovered that the actinides were f-block elements, leading to a recognizably modern form of the periodic table. This discovery significantly refined the table's structure and improved the understanding of element organization.
In 1945, element 61 (promethium) was produced artificially.
In 1948, Lev Landau and Evgeny Lifshitz questioned the grouping of lutetium as an f-block element because the 4f shell is completely filled at ytterbium. This sparked debate about the correct placement of certain elements in the periodic table.
In 1948, Soviet physicists Lev Landau and Evgeny Lifshitz noted that lutetium is correctly regarded as a d-block rather than an f-block element.
By 1955, elements up to 101 (mendelevium) were synthesized.
In 1961, Vsevolod Klechkovsky derived the first part of the Madelung rule (that orbitals fill in order of increasing n + ℓ) from the Thomas–Fermi model.
In 1963, Jun Kondō first suggested that bulk lanthanum is an f-metal, on the grounds of its low-temperature superconductivity.
In 1963, Jun Kondō realized that lanthanum's low-temperature superconductivity implied the activity of its 4f shell. This observation contributed to the ongoing discussion about the proper arrangement of elements in the f-block.
In 1965, David C. Hamilton linked the superconductivity of lanthanum to its position in the periodic table, arguing that the f-block should consist of elements La–Yb and Ac–No. This was a step towards reevaluating the structure of the f-block.
In 1971, Yury N. Demkov and Valentin N. Ostrovsky derived the complete Madelung rule from a similar potential.
In 1978, IUPAC systematic element names, directly relating to atomic numbers, were adopted.
From 1981, discoveries of elements 107 through 112 at GSI were made possible using cold fusion.
In 1982, William B. Jensen brought the issue of f-block assignment to wide attention, advocating for the reassignment of lutetium and lawrencium to group 3. This spurred further discussion and research on the topic.
In 1985, IUPAC and IUPAP created the Transfermium Working Group (TWG) to set out criteria for element discovery.
IUPAC reports dating from 1988 supported the reassignment of lutetium and lawrencium to group 3, aligning with the recommendation for 1–18 group numbers. This represented a move towards a more standardized and accurate representation of the periodic table.
In 1988, IUPAC rejected a proposal to move helium to Group 2, affirming its placement in Group 18 due to its unreactive nature and full outer shell. This decision was based on its properties matching noble gases more closely than alkaline earth metals.
In 1988, IUPAC released a report supporting the composition of group 3.
In 1988, the IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) naming system (1–18) for groups in the periodic table was put into use, deprecating the old Roman numeral (I–VIII) system. This change aimed to standardize group nomenclature internationally.
In 1991, the Transfermium Working Group (TWG)'s criteria for element discovery were published.
The original discovery criteria set down by the TWG were created in 1991.
In 1997, elements 102 through 106 received their final names, including seaborgium (106).
From 1998, the JINR team (in collaboration with American scientists) began discovering elements 114 through 118 using hot fusion.
In 2002, oganesson was synthesized, marking the creation of another element in the seventh row of the periodic table. This added to the growing list of artificially produced elements.
Until 2004, discoveries of elements 107 through 112 at GSI were made possible using cold fusion.
By 2010, all 118 elements had been discovered, completing the first seven rows of the periodic table. However, full chemical characterization of the heaviest elements was still pending to confirm their properties matched their predicted positions.
In 2010, tennessine was synthesized, completing the elements needed to finish the seventh row of the periodic table. This marked a major achievement in synthetic element creation.
Until 2010, the JINR team (in collaboration with American scientists) discovered elements 114 through 118 using hot fusion.
By 2016, all elements up to 118 had been officially added to the periodic table, completing its first seven rows.
In 2016, the last elements of the seventh row were officially given names, solidifying their place in the periodic table. This included elements like nihonium, moscovium, tennessine, and oganesson.
Since 2018, an attempt to make element 119 has been ongoing at the Riken research institute in Japan.
In 2019, the United Nations declared the year as the International Year of the Periodic Table.
In 2020, the discovery criteria set down by the TWG were updated.
IUPAC reports dating from 2021 supported the reassignment of lutetium and lawrencium to group 3. The variation nonetheless still exists because most textbook writers are not aware of the issue.
In 2021, IUPAC reaffirmed its decision on the composition of group 3.
In 2021, an IUPAC report addressed the representation of the f-block, noting that some practitioners support 15-element-wide f-blocks for specialized relativistic quantum mechanics. However, the project's opinion was that such interests should not affect the presentation of the periodic table to the general scientific community.